


In Seven Years' Time

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Ocean's Advent [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Kaiju, Alternate Universe - Selkie, Background An Yuna/Mako Mori/Pang So-Yi, Background Yancy Becket/Alison Choi/Tendo Choi, Blood and Violence, Drivesuit Scars, F/F, F/M, Happy Ending, Injury Recovery, M/M, Multi, Time Skips, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 20:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11089212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: A Selkie is permitted to land on a beach of their choosing every seven years and may stay for seven days—no more, no less.Only love, true love, can break the cycle.





	1. Raleigh, Son of Dominique

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the7thmauser](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the7thmauser/gifts), [WeekendWriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeekendWriter/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a special someone who deserves all the fic, love and attention~ I'm sorry it's later than I expected!
> 
> There are borrowed OCs from ANSK verse so if you've read that, they'll sound familiar. If not, I encourage questions!
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> Fic Note: Raleigh is aged down by 2 years. Difference is 3 instead of 5.

* * *

**-Ice Floe, Arctic Sea, Near Anchorage, Alaska, December 11, 2000-**

Dominique panted heavily as her entire body arched with her half-form nearly breaking the ice cave. The wind howled over the thin shelter, her eyes blown wide as she pushed again and screamed loud enough to overcome the storm. Her pale fingers cut into the ice as she gripped it. 

It took nearly all of her strength to push out her new pup, the soft whimper her reward as she cradled the soft pup in her arms. Dominique was exhausted as another Selkie slipped into the birthing area. The seal form slipped away to reveal an older pup, Yancy, hers from a previous mating. Hazel eyes traced over the soft white fur spiked with birthing fluids, the small body pressed close to her. 

«He's very small.» Yancy commented as she cleared away the fluid with strokes of her tongue. «Will he survive?» 

Dominique huffed in amusement, her muscles still incredibly sore. «You were this tiny once. Give your brother some credit. He's made it to the world of the living.» The little one was suckling already, making noises of contentment as he ate. «We'll see if he makes it to his naming ceremony.» 

«Analisse's pup hasn't made it. Neither has Naomi's. The winter's been really hard.» Yancy sighed as the little one moved onto her other breast. 

«Lapierre pups always make it. The male I chose is strong; he fathered you. I ate more than I needed to for my reserves.» Dominique countered serenely. «What others do or do not in preparation for pups is not my concern.» 

«The others talk that because you mate with humans, we are less.» Yancy admitted with a baring of his fangs. He was young but no fool. The gatherings for molting were always a cesspit for gossipmongers and those who thought they were above reproach. 

«Feel no shame, my little light. I know better and you should as well. The reason Analisse and Naomi's pups didn't make it is because they have been mating with almost close family. It is simple genetics. Outside blood is needed to produce healthy pups.» She told Yancy. 

«If I mate with a human, will the pup be Selkie or human?» Yancy asked as he cuddled with her and the new pup. 

«Selkie but sometimes human. There is a chance of both but do not be discouraged. Try again if you feel the need. You've years yet, little light.» Dominique soothed.

* * *

Dominique's pup made it to his naming day when the ice was still grid-locked. She took him to the great ice hollow where she'd taken his brother and where she had been taken after her first hundred days. 

She surfaced to find the birth elders almost crying. 

"No pups? None at all?" The first sighed, her hands shaking as she ran them through the ceremonial seaweed. 

"Truly a terrible winter for us all," another bemoaned. 

"The males must be forced to leave. We are too close now." The third barked coldly. 

Her little one chose that moment to snuffle and splash at the cold water he was in. 

"A pup?!" 

"Dominique's, no doubt." 

"Lapierres always over-prepare and she takes precaution to breed outside our group. Come, child, and bring the little one with you." 

"I am Mother twice over now and plan for at least one more from the same sire. His blood is strong, which leads me to think his ancestor stole away one of our sisters in Irish waters." She replied as she slid up the ice to place her new pup into the cradle of sacred seaweed. 

"It is truth you speak, for no full human would breed two Selkie sons in a span of five years. How did you do it?" The third elder asked her. 

"I coax their sire into the water and we mate then and there. I swim much farther to get to him but he remains faithful to me, no matter how many years pass. I will seek another pup from him soon." 

"Your last?" 

"Yes. Three pups is more than enough for any mother," she cooed as the little one looked for her with large blue eyes. "Especially when they're full of mischief as mine are." 

"What will you call this son, born a hundred days ago in a fierce squall?" The first intoned. 

"Raleigh, for his gaze reminds me of a meadow I once made love in." Dominique responded solemnly. 

"Welcome to the world, Raleigh, son of Dominique."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment, complain, ect.


	2. Raleigh's First Landing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was previously posted as a huge 13k fic so I'm breaking it down into chapters for easier reading! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 9, 2007-**

Raleigh's snout broke the water's surface, eyes scanning the busy human beach. He searched for a more secluded spot to slip into his human form and hide his skin. Mama had told him that almost no humans believed in Selkie anymore but it was still good to be cautious. 

Yancy was rolling in the water next to him, his spotted fur plastered to his sleek form. 

«There! Look, there's rocks for hiding our furs... Almost no humans are around.» He pointed out with his nose. 

«Nice spotting, baby bro. Let's go before it gets too crowded in your spot.» Yancy praised as they sank beneath the clear waters to surface close to the beach. «Wait. There's a pup.» 

Raleigh crooned softly at the sight of the small human pup. «The humans used to steal away our sisters. I wonder if you can steal a human pup and raise it our way?» 

«Raleigh...» Yancy barked as the pup dug in the sand. «Pups are rare enough for our kind. It doesn't mean we should steal theirs. Besides, that's a myth almost as old as Sister Sea and Mother Moon.» 

«C'n I at least play with them?» he pouted as they shifted in the shallows, followed by Mama and Jazzy. 

"Play with him but be nice. Be careful with your strength. Humans are fragile as pups and they're called children." Mama allowed as she strolled along the sand, her small power manifesting a basket and what smelled like food in the blink of an eye. They were wearing human covers called shorts. 

They tucked thier skins into a rocky outcrop that soaked them every few moments. 

"Hello there," Raleigh turned to see a human, the Mama of the pup they'd spotted earlier. "Welcome to our little sanctuary. I'm Angela Hansen but you can call me Angie." She shook Mama's flipper heartily and bared her teeth. 

He remembered faintly that it was called a smile and that humans used it as a disarming gesture. 

Mama smiled too and shook Mama Hansen's flipper-hand! Humans had hands-easily. "Dominique Lapierre. My friends call me Minnie. These are my children, Yancy, Raleigh and Jazmine." 

Raleigh hung onto Mama's leg warily but spotted the pup again, closer to the water than most humans allowed. "Mama, c'n I go play?" 

"Of course," she made a shooing motion and spoke more with Mama Hansen. 

"Charlie, honey, get out of the water please! Charlie? Charlie?!" Mama Hansen barked before her scent turned desperate. "Herc! I can't see Charlie!" 

"I can't see him eitha!" Herc, Charlie's sire, called back. 

Raleigh spotted the bubbles long before the humans did. 

He ran into the water, picked the pup up by his covering, running back and pressing on his chest to get the water he could hear gurgling out of Charlie's lungs. 

Charlie coughed, rolling over to remove the water and take in large breaths. 

"You okay?" He asked as he looked for the adults. Charlie whined but nodded as Raleigh let out a yell. «Mama! I found the pup!»

"Mmm... Pretty blue." Charlie rasped. Mama once told him he'd stolen the moon's breath with his eyes. He shrugged and stood guard over the smaller pup until Mama Hansen and Mama arrived. "Mama!" 

He watched as Mama Hansen scolded and cuddled in almost the same breath as Charlie's sire joined them. Both nearly overflowed with gratitude and relief and Raleigh staggered back to his Mama with the scent in his nose. 

«You did good, little moon.» Mama told told him as she dried him off with a towel that felt like seal fur. «Humans take the loss of pups harder than we do.» 

«He smells like he belongs to Sister Sea.» Raleigh mumbled. «You think he'll want to play?»

«Ask, little moon, but I think he'll be confined to the beach.» she answered. 

Raleigh walked to the Hansen nest, trying out a smile as he visually checked on Charlie. "May I play with Charlie? I won't take him near the water." 

"Oh. Minnie's boy. Of course, if Charlie's up to it. Honey, do you want to play with Minnie's boy? You are...?" 

"Raleigh, ma'am." 

Charlie scrambled out of the pile of towels and grabbed Raleigh's hand with his own. "Yes." 

"I'll be keeping an eye on you so don't wander too far!" Mama Hansen warned. 

They played in the sand, digging holes to fill with water from the bucket that Raleigh took to the water's edge to fill. They giggled and played make-believe until it was time for Charlie and Jazzy's nap-time. 

Raleigh joined the pile on the towel, his first day on land a tiring one. 

"They're adorable. I'm so glad he found Charlie, Minnie. I was beyond scared." Mama Hansen sighed as she stroked through Charlie's hair. 

"I'm glad we could help you in such a terrible time. Raleigh picked the beach, you know. He was so excited for his first vacation." Mama praised. 

"What a wonderful coincidence."

* * *

Raleigh and Charlie became _RaleighandCharlie_ that week, Raleigh happy to play with someone close to his age that wasn't Yancy. It wasn't that he didn't like his brother but sometimes Yancy did things Raleigh couldn't and it got frustrating. 

He carried Charlie around piggy-back style for most of the week whenever Charlie got tired. 

When they had to leave, both Raleigh and Charlie burst into tears—one loud and one silent as they waved furiously. Raleigh broke from his family to hug Charlie close, the smaller arms wrapping as best they could around his waist. 

"I'll see you again," he promised. 

"Pinkie pwomise?" Charlie sniffled as he held out his pinkie. Raleigh wrapped it in his and agreed. 

"Pinkie promise. Come back when you turn eleven, okay?" 

"Okay." Charlie's lip wobbled dangerously. Raleigh touched their foreheads together in a Selkie gesture of solidarity before he pulled away. 

Sister Sea did not let go of what was hers quite so easily, Raleigh decided as he watched Charlie from the shallows as a seal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	3. Reforging the Bonds of Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chased after the Muses and before I knew it, the fic was almost a month late! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 12, 2014-**

Raleigh slipped onto the beach just after the sun rose, cracking his neck and rolling all the kinks out of his human form. He hummed as he searched for Charlie's scent and found it in a cottage on the grassy knolls. 

Tugging at his shirtsleeve for a moment, Raleigh almost left the beach. Charlie barreled out of the seaside home with a small board and a happy sound. 

"Whoop!" He hopped onto the board and skidded along the water, falling in with a laugh that made Raleigh's heart stop for a moment. "Man, this place is even better than th' last time we came... Jus' wish I had someone to be friends with an' Mum would back off." 

"I don't suppose childhood ones count?" Raleigh drawled as he picked the board up from the waves that lapped against the shore. 

"Childhood... Do I know ya?" The piercing eyes had only gotten sharper and narrowed as they spotted Raleigh holding onto his board. 

"I hope so, we made a promise on this spot-" he started. 

"Chuck, honey, time for-Who's your friend?" Mama Hansen called and paused at the sight of Raleigh. 

"Raleigh Lapierre, ma'am." He responded. "We met a few years ago." 

"You're the one Chuck made that pinkie promise with; I remember. Where's your Mum?" 

"Farther down the beach. My sister's a handful," Raleigh turned up the charm and she nodded in agreement. "I c'n-" 

"Nonsense. Come have breakfast with us." She clicked her tongue as she took in his lanky frame. "If you're anything like Chuck's been the past few weeks, I'm sure you could do with a solid meal or two." 

"Thank you," He gratefully entered the cottage, setting his flip-flops down and knocking the sand off his feet. Raleigh padded into the home that was saturated with Chuck's, Mama Hansen's and Chuck's sire's scent. "Oh, that smells amazing." 

Toast, eggs and fresh fruit sprawled over the table, with Mama Hansen taking bacon off the stove last. 

"How's your Mum?" 

"Good. She's managed to get my older brother off to college." 

"She's a sporadic pen pal but her letters are full to bursting with news. You all travel to amazing places... Please, call me Ms. Angie." She enthused as she piled his and Chuck's plates with a decent amount of food. 

Chuck was looking between them like they were an ice-ball match. 

"Yes, Ms. Angie." He parroted dutifully as he cleared his plate. 

"Chuck, he hasn't been to Macquarie in a while. Would you mind showing him around?" She asked sweetly. 

"Alright Mum."

* * *

Chuck changed, his hair ruffled by the shirt and sticking up at odd angles, the sea salt still drying in his hair. 

"So-"

"Umm-" 

They started at the same time before Raleigh closed his mouth and motioned for Chuck to talk. 

"There's not much around here. There's th' lighthouse, the tourist spots like th' zoo and th' kitschy shops. Might be a skateboard park but I don't skate." Chuck shrugged. 

"So, your typical over-priced harbor town." Raleigh laughed. "It's nothing against Port Macquarie. I've been to so many places that some of 'em start to blend." 

"Seriously?" Chuck looked up, his brows furrowing.

"A bit, yeah. I do want to see the lighthouse." 

"Can't go in but yeah, sure."

* * *

They walked to the lighthouse, dodging kids and some fellow Selkie that gave Raleigh a double-take as he walked with Chuck. 

"When was th' last time you were here?" Chuck asked. 

"August of 2007." He answered easily as he ducked a volleyball. "Watch where you're hitting that thing!" 

"I wasn't even outta pull-ups yet." Chuck grimaced. "How old were you?" 

"Seven. Maman told me I rescued you from drowning. I remember pulling you out of the water and turning you over." Raleigh confessed as they climbed up the hill. 

"So you're the blond kid in my little pictures. I always wondered..." He muttered before he walked backward up the hill. "How long are you staying for?" 

"A week." 

"Only a week? What, you've gotta be somewhere after that?" Chuck practically pouted but Raleigh couldn't say for sure. 

Oh, he didn't want to lie to Chuck but it was necessary. "Kinda. My Dad's always moving an' we gotta keep up with him." 

"What's he do?" Chuck helped Raleigh up up the last few steps, a slight flush in his cheeks as he let go of Raleigh's hand. 

"An oil rig engineer. He fixes all the stuff that's broken and moves onto the next place they need him in. It means we move a lot too." Raleigh told the truth, knowing his sire from a distance and nothing more. 

"We do that too. My old man's in the RAAF an' we move bases constantly. It sucks. You make friends, yeah, but it's hard to maintain." Chuck sighed as he perched on the railing next to the lighthouse. "So this's Tacking Point."

The view was breathtaking. Raleigh dug around for his phone, snapping pictures and then he turned to Chuck. 

"C'mon, smile! My brother's a jerk and he never believes me so I need to take your picture." Raleigh cajoled sweetly, cheating by pulling out his pup eyes. 

"Fine, fine, I look like I got dunked in th' waves but whateva." Chuck's accent thickened when he got flustered. 

Raleigh thought it was adorable. 

He smiled and Raleigh snapped the pic, laughing when Chuck reached for the phone to delete the picture. 

"No, you said I could. C'mon, look, it's not so bad." Raleigh showed it to him and Chuck's tiny smile said that Raleigh'd done the right thing. "How about a shared selfie? Friends do that, right?" 

"D'ya mean that?" The unsure grey-blue gaze flickered with hurt before it got hidden by a rough shove. 

"Of course I do. I did pinkie promise after all." He teased lightly because he knew Chuck was fragile still. 

"We made a pinkie promise?" Chuck asked after they took several photos, some silly and others just happy. 

"Mmhmm, just before we parted ways. Maman has a picture of it somewhere and maybe Ms. Angie has one too." Raleigh assured. "You wanna head back or...?" 

"Grab a boogie board maybe? I've got two." 

"Awesome, you can teach me how to use one properly. I suck at it." Raleigh cheerfully wrapped an arm around Chuck as they walked back.

* * *

Raleigh crashed no less than eight times before he even remotely got the hang of the boogie board. Being in Sister Sea without his seal skin and wearing his human form threw him off quite a bit. She laughed at him, spinning him this way and that before releasing him just as Chuck got worried. 

"What are you, part mermaid? Can hold your breath longer than anyone I know," Chuck prodded Raleigh's shoulder with his bare toes, Raleigh sprawled out on the warm sand after yet another crash into the waves. 

"Practice, I guess." He lazily drawled as he looked up at Chuck. "Yancy c'n hold his breath for four minutes. Me, I'm only able to do it maybe three, three and a half." 

It was sort of true, seeing as how Selkie could and did hold their breath for nearly an hour while hunting. They were limited in these human forms but Raleigh didn't mind if it kept him close to Chuck. 

"Does your Mum mind you staying with us for the week?" 

"Like I said, Jazzy's a handful. She just turned twelve an' she thinks everything should be about her." As the youngest Lapierre and the only female pup of their family group, Jazmine got away with a lot but Maman was about to start taking her to the elders for an education of maturity, as an elder had passed and they wanted Maman to replace the lost one. "Maman will be nice about it but she'll start figuring things out. I'm at least accounted for and I won't cause too much trouble if I'm with a friend." 

"You said your brother was in college?" 

"Mmm. In San Francisco. He's focusing on marine bio." Raleigh almost laughed. _Almost._

Yancy was checking out the cute guy who ran the bay ferry and a girl who really did specialize in marine biology. It was getting harder and harder to leave land for long periods of time thanks to security cameras and recording devices and... Yeah. 

Raleigh had to be careful. He knew that. 

"Cool." 

"As cool as me?" 

"Puh-lease, you ate sand like ten times before I showed you what you were doing wrong." Chuck rolled his eyes and got off the subject of Raleigh's family.

* * *

They explored the edge of the city together, often laughing at the lobster-red tourists and smearing sunscreen on each other's noses because they could. 

Raleigh tanned quickly and Chuck was almost the same shade as the cottage siding by the time they stumbled back in at dinner time.

He pulled the flip-phone out of his pocket and called Maman, slipping onto the small porch as he waited for her to pick up. 

«Hello, Raleigh! How is it? Did you find Charlie?» Maman happily answered. 

«It's good. He's Chuck now but he's still got that scent that reminds me of Sister Sea and it's even worse now because he plays in her waves like he belongs there. I'll be spending all of my week here, if that's okay with you?» He hummed as he leaned back to watch Chuck cut vegetables up as Ms. Angie watched and as Herc, the Hansen sire, wove around them with a learned grace. 

A soldier, Chuck had said. It suited the man well enough. Selkie had guardians but it wasn't the same as the multiple professions humans could and did have on solid land. 

«That's fine. I dropped off your things with Angie earlier today anyway. She's quite wonderful. I think I'll drop by for a visit or two before the week is out, just to see my pup and hers.» She replied. 

«I'm glad we tend to pick beaches close to one another. Makes it easier on us all.» Raleigh murmured as he cradled the phone between his shoulder and his neck. «I'll see you soon, Maman. Goodnight~» 

«Goodnight, little moon.»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	4. Sha la la la,  You Gotta Kiss The Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist labeling the chapter something goofy yet appropriate... 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 14, 2014; Chuck's Birthday-**

For Chuck's birthday, they went to the zoo. Raleigh went along as Chuck went through the zoo and held onto his hand the entire time. During a bathroom break, Herc pulled Raleigh off to the side. 

"You're that kid from years ago, right?" 

"Yes sir." Raleigh agreed promptly. 

"You stringin' Chuck along? Gonna make 'friends' an' then drop him th' second you're outta his sight?" Mr. Hansen asked seriously. 

"No sir," Raleigh growled back. "Maman didn't get a chance to give me your address and we thought it'd be weird for Chuck t' be getting some mail from a complete stranger a year or so down th' road from when we met. Now that we're friends again, I'm not going anywhere. By the time I leave, Mr. Hansen, he'll have my address, my phone number an' my email. I'll even send the first package, text an' email if it'll make you happy." 

Mr. Hansen rocked back at his fierce response. 

"Listen, Mr. Hansen, we move a lot too. My Dad's a oil rig engineer an' we go where he goes. But I'll write as often as I c'n manage." 

"... I like you. You're the first kid that hasn't been scared off by Chuck's smarts an' my questioning." The small smile was almost like Chuck's. 

"He's worth it, sir." Raleigh absently added. "Hey Chuck." 

Chuck bounced up to them and then frowned heavily as he looked at them both, "D'you **_always_** have to 'talk' to my friends?" 

"This one's not going anywhere. I approve, Chuck. Now go on. It's your birthday, go have fun." Herc reassured. 

"Whatever." Chuck tugged Raleigh along until they were at the crocodile glass enclosure. "... Did you mean it? What you said to my old man?" 

"Of course I did. If you still want to be friends by the end of the week?" The look Chuck sent him was a wordless 'Duh.' "Then you'll be getting a package from Alaska sooner or later." 

"Alaska?!" 

"Yup, that's where I live." Raleigh laughed as Chuck continued to exclaim over the fact that Raleigh crossed the International Date Line to get to Port Macquarie. 

Selkie weren't meant to be away from the ocean for longer than eight hours and Raleigh had already been on land for nearly seven. 

The warmth of Chuck's hand made up for how awful Raleigh felt physically.

* * *

**-Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 17, 2014; Evening before Departure-**

They sat together on the porch, still damp from one last boogie board session and wrapped in a blanket as they talked about anything they could think about. 

"Hey, Raleigh?" Chuck questioned as they looked up at the stars from their perch. 

"Yeah?" 

"You, uh, you ever been... kissed?" 

"Yeah. A few times," he admitted, shrugging. "Just some girls having a little bit of fun and some boys looking to see if that's what they wanted." 

Chuck shuffled and then his voice softened to almost a whisper. "I don't want my first kiss to be at school." 

Chuck would be heading into the Aussie equivalent of middle school, a battle ground that Raleigh'd attended long enough to take distance courses due to his inability to stay on dry land for too long. 

"Your first kiss. You-" Raleigh blanked for a moment and then smacked his forehead,"Oh. With me?" 

"I reckon if it's you, it won't be so bad." Chuck's logic was pretty sound. Raleigh'd had practice, wouldn't bite him and would let him take the lead without taking over. "We don't have to, y'know." 

"No, I want to. Just–Hold on a sec." Raleigh shuffled so that he could see Chuck's expression in the soft moonlight reflecting off of Sister Sea. He gently cupped Chuck's face in his hands. "You want me to lead or do you wanna practice?" 

"You lead. Everyone's always tellin' me I'm a prodigy; I'll figure it out." Chuck offered wryly, a smile tugging at his lips. 

Raleigh leaned in, pressing his lips to Chuck's and watched as Chuck's eyes fluttered closed before his did the same. They kissed until they couldn't breathe and then Chuck giggled. 

"That's it?" 

"Kinda," Raleigh licked at his own lips and went back again for the taste of Chuck, still _salt-surf-sun_ that made up Chuck's base smell. They went a little heavier and then Chuck whined when Raleigh pulled away. "You gotta breathe. I c'n hold my breath way longer, remember?" 

"Right, right." Chuck sighed before he gave Raleigh a grin. "...can we do that again?" 

"As long as you don't mind all the questions your Maman is going to throw at you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	5. Reunion & Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if you're getting spammed with back-dated chapter notices! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Sydney, NSW, Australia, March 1, 2021-**

Raleigh was grateful that Chuck had kept in contact with him. Seven years of dumb post-cards and thick packs of letters written on water-proof paper and waterproof pen from both sides. 

He couldn't do the anniversary of his brother's death _alone_ , not after Maman had passed. 

Jazzy was amongst family and she had reached out. Raleigh didn't want to show up and ruin her small family or startle the pup with his scars; especially not when his scars were still raw and ached in the cold. 

When he got to the apartment, he knocked politely on the door. It unlocked to reveal a scruffy ginger face that had grown into the bony cheekbones behind a door chain. 

"Whosat?" 

"That any way to greet an old friend?" He countered dryly, his smile strained but genuine. 

"Oh. Right." Chuck closed the door, prompting several crashes and a 'Fuck it' to float through the door before it opened all the way. "Sorry about th' mess." He waved Raleigh in and closed the door, scratching at his stubble.

"It's fine." He reassured. "Kinda sprang this on you..." 

"Ya want tea or something?" Chuck asked as he padded into the kitchen. 

"Black, if you have it," Raleigh hummed as he took in the apartment. He toed off his boots and set them next to a pair of boots that looked like they belonged in a Mad-Max film. The ruck went next to them, an ache in forming in his chest when it looked like they belonged there. 

His gift to eleven-year-old Chuck sat on a shelf, the twisted oyster shell still gleaming in the light of the apartment. Others crowded around it with each one from a different part of the world as long as Raleigh could manage the postage costs. 

A cup of tea was gently pressed into his hands as Chuck's sweater slipped because it was made two sizes too big. Chuck had refused to ship it back to Raleigh so Raleigh could fix the mistake. Something along the lines of 'nope, it's mine now' that they got into sometimes. 

Raleigh never told Chuck that the yarn used to make it was spun of molted Selkie fur—his, to be exact. 

He settled on the couch, tucking his feet under his legs and cradling the tea. 

"Raleigh?" 

"I told you that today's not a good day," he started as he stared into the steaming tea. 

"Yeah, you did." 

"Ever heard of something called a Pacific Sleeper Shark?" Raleigh questioned before taking a sip. 

"Nah." 

"Yancy was studying them in his wetsuit. The offical report says that he likely looked like a juvenile sea lion. They, uh, they said he bled out on the way to the hospital." 

"You were there." 

"In a cage, watching him work." The lie rolled off of his tongue and it made him angry. "I shot it. Harpooned the fucker right in the face." 

"Oh," Arms wrapped around him and set the cup off to the side as Raleigh buried his face against Chuck's chest, inhaling _salt-surf-sun_ for the first time in years, and let go of his grief.

* * *

Chuck offered to let him stay the night and Raleigh accepted. He pillowed his face on his arms and watched as Chuck threw together ramen with vegetables, tiny slices of ham and one whole, hard-boiled egg cut in two for each glass bowl.

"I'd make somethin' fancier if you didn't look like you were about to fall asleep," he wryly offered. 

"Ramen's fine. I'm probably gonna end up sleeping after I eat, so you're right about that." Raleigh gave a half-hearted shrug and hummed as Chuck set the bowls down. 

"I've got shrimp or beef. Not sure if you're allergic," Chuck pointed to the each bowl as he labeled it. 

"Shrimp. Not a fan of beef but I'm not allergic either." He levered himself up, snagging the chopsticks and waiting for Chuck to dig in. 

"Thanks. I don't like shrimp." Chuck dug in and Raleigh followed, the slurp of noodles almost the only sound in the apartment. The door unlocking had Raleigh more awake than before as Chuck let loose an Aussie blue streak that had him laughing quietly. "That's my roommate. She's back early. Sorry." 

"It's fine. I've got a place lined up if this doesn't work out." He reassured with a slight rasp. 

"Mako, what happened?" Chuck asked as he continued to eat, still in his sweater and sweatpants. 

"They let us go early for the robotics convention in Seoul... Hello." She saw Raleigh, noodle half-way slurped into his mouth. He gave a brief wave. "I thought you hated making ramen unless you're deep in an engineering project." 

"Right. Yeah, thing is, Raleigh here's that penpal you keep askin' me about. Th' one that got me all that," Chuck hooked a lazy thumb at the shelf before he finished his bowl in a long swallow. "I was gonna let him stay on the couch. That cool with you?" 

Mako's expression softened at that, her hand settling on Chuck's hip as they walked into the kitchen together. "Excuse us for a moment?" 

Raleigh waved them off, intent on finishing his food because he knew that he'd be up again in a few hours and needed all the calories he could get. He was chasing bits of egg yolk around the bowl when they walked out of the kitchen. "So, what's the verdict?" 

"Chuck tells me you stay for a week at a time, normally in the summer. He says that it isn't his story to tell but that you would like to ride out your issue here. I won't pry. You're more than welcome to stay." She offered quietly. "My name is Mako Mori." 

"Raleigh Lapierre. I appreciate that you're respectin' my boundaries." They shook hands and Raleigh felt even more welcome. "Is the couch a pull-out?" 

"Go get ready. Mako an' I will set it up. You look exhausted." Chuck shooed him off to the tiny half-bath to get dressed. The creak of springs and the flap of sheets made him feel warm. He was almost a complete stranger to Mako and a decent friend to Chuck but he felt like he'd chosen the right thing by coming here.

* * *

**-Off the Alaskan Coast, Under Ice, February 29, 2020-**

_«Betcha I'm gonna get that cod!» Raleigh teased as he shifted to his half-form and stunned the fish with a powerful swipe of his seal tail._

_Yancy laughed and showed Raleigh his stunned pile in a kelp net. «Sorry baby bro.»_

_«Whatever.» Raleigh rolled his eyes as they dumped that catch in their storage ice cave, slipping into their spotted seal skins to eat._

_They chased fish and caught them, sharing when the other missed._

_Just as Raleigh was chasing a final fish as an after thought, a huge, dark form surged out of the deeper waters and lunged for him._

_Yancy head butted him out of the way at the last second. The shark, now visible in the light of the ice, had Yancy's flipper and a good chunk of his side in it's mouth. The shark started rolling, causing Yancy to scream._

_«A-AAAAAAAHHHH! RALEIGH, RUN!»_

_Raleigh spun and shifted into half-form, nearly the length of the shark that held his brother, the roar that rumbled from his chest full of wrath._

_He slashed open the shark's nose with claws that flashed once, twice and then ripped up to completely disorient the shark. It lashed out at Raleigh, teeth carving into his arm and Yancy was released. Raleigh quickly rushed him to the ice cave before returning to the now fleeing predator._

_«YOU DON'T GET TO LEAVE!» Raleigh snarled as he shot after it, short spear in hand. He heaved it with all of his anger and hurt and grief. The spear crushed the skull of the shark and broke through the bottom of the fractured jaw. He bared his teeth at it and left it to choke. «Yancy!»_

_«Ra...Leigh. Leave me... on... the... beach.»_

_«Anything you want, Yan.» Raleigh choked out as he held Yancy's seal self close to his chest. He sobbed as he fled for the more populated areas, both leaving behind a trail of spiraling scarlet blood in the ice-cold water. «Anything at all.»_

_«You...okay?»_

_Raleigh keened as he laid Yancy on the sand, blood coating his arm and chest as he pushed his brother as far as he could in this half-form up the beach. He'd spotted some people and let loose a seal bark, though it warbled as it got stuck in his throat for a moment. «Love you, Yan.»_

_«Love... you... Ra...Liegh...»_

_He backed off, slipping beneath the waves and swimming away to lick his wounds in private._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	6. Go Yell At The Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had feels writing the first bit of this and the last bit of the other chapter...
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

He woke up with a scream on his lips, clutching at his left arm as it burned something awful. Raleigh sobbed at the memory that washed over him. After a long moment he got up, dressed in a ratty tank top and shorts and slipped on his boots. Raleigh snagged the keys Chuck had left on the counter and went to the beach at a heavy jog. He kicked off all of his clothes, slipped into his seal skin and dove into Sister Sea. 

She soothed his fears, washed away his tears and then gently placed Raleigh back on the beach feeling heartsore but refreshed. 

He was spotted by a runner on the beach. 

They slowed and then stopped entirely as Raleigh blinked.

"You've survived something," Ms. Mori kept her distance but looked him over with brown eyes that softened at the sight of his shark scars. "I have to go find our wayward guest. I don't suppose you've seen him?" 

Raleigh huffed out a wet breath that sprayed sea water. 

"No, I guess not." 

He ducked back into the surf, popping up his head to check her position before he swam to his clothing, shifted back to human form and pulled on his clothes. Raleigh waded into the surf with his boots in his good hand, slogging until he was just far enough ahead for Ms. Mori to spot him. 

"Raleigh?" 

"Good morning Ms. Mori. I have Chuck's keys, before you ask. I just... I needed some fresh air." He said, hoping to prevent too much questioning. "Someone I knew once said that to clear your head, you go to the beach and inhale the sea for a little while." 

"And the scream?" She was far more wary than Chuck and he didn't have years of friendship to lean on. 

"Nightmare. Didn't feel like intruding on your sleep time to talk." Raleigh admitted. "I'm working through it at my own pace." 

He waded through Sister Sea to the beach, the -slush-slush- of the water running over his calves making him smile a little. 

"Is Chuck worried?" 

"He's... irrate." She allowed carefully. 

"Ah."

* * *

Chuck unlocked the door with a thunderous expression that stopped as he soon as he saw Raleigh's scarring and the circles under his eyes. 

"C'mere." Raleigh dropped his boots at the door and the keys back on the counter, hugging and basking in the warmth of a still sleepy Chuck. A hand carded through his damp hair and he was sniffed discreetly enough that he only smiled at it. "Had ta go yell at the ocean, huh?" 

"Somethin' like that," he replied. Leaning most of his weight on Chuck, he kicked the door closed after Ms. Mori was through it. "This is nice." 

"Hmm. You want breakfast t' go with all of that salt onya?" Chuck teased and Raleigh muffled his laughter against Chuck's shoulder. 

"Sure." He let go of Chuck only to follow his best friend into the kitchen. "I make a mean breakfast. I c'n whip up something, as thanks for last night?" 

"Like what?" Oh, that was a challenge. Chuck's smirk said it _all_. 

"You ever had a full French breakfast?" He ribbed back, cracking his knuckles. "Show me where everything is and I'll make you one." 

Chuck showed him and Raleigh set to work, humming a Selkie lullaby as he cracked eggs, whipped up crepe batter and immersed himself in a new kitchen. 

Of all the places Maman had brought him to, her birthplace had been where he'd felt welcome. They'd explored the ocean-side towns until their limit on land exhausted them and Maman had loved it so much. Mémé had been human, through and through, but born to a Mediterranean monk Selkie. She'd taught them all about food when they'd visited her in her home town of Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée. 

Raleigh set the plates down with a flourish and then soaked what he could in the sink before joining Ms. Mori and Chuck for breakfast. "How is it?" 

"You didn't even look up _**recipes**_ ," Chuck blurted after he swallowed another mouthful of crepe. 

"My Mémé taught me everything I know about food. She never used a cookbook either an' all of her measurements were a pinch of this or a dab of that spice." He confessed with a small chuckle. "I could recite them in French by the time I was twelve." 

"Mémé?" Chuck's nose scrunched adorably at the unfamiliar word. 

"French slang for grandma."

"Oh. So, you're a Seppo but half?" Chuck questioned. 

"I've got dual citizenship. Technically I count as French-American." He replied easily. "What's a Seppo?" 

"American. It's somewhat derogatory but since you and Chuck are friends it's more of an endearment." Ms. Mori added dryly as Chuck turned red and refused to answer. 

Raleigh grinned and elbowed Chuck lightly. "You _like_ me." 

"Course I do," Chuck grumbled but elbowed back, a smile at the edge of his lips. "I let you sleep here instead of havin' ya out 'n dry at some dumb hotel, yeah?" 

"Yeah." He hummed. Raleigh let their thighs brush and Chuck only moved closer, tucking himself under Raleigh's arm and stealing bits off of his plate. 

"If you don't mind... Are you two together?" Ms. Mori asked. 

"No." 

"Just friends." Raleigh murmured as he pillowed his chin in Chuck's hair. 

He'd like to be more but he wouldn't burden Chuck with his feelings. Selkie were both much like their seal counterparts but also like their human side; they chose strong, warm mates that stayed for most of the season and then left when the pup was old enough to function on their own. 

Sometimes Selkie mated for life. 

It was a rare occurrence and when it happened with a human, the legend went that Sister Sea and Mother Moon gave them the power to join their Selkie mate. 

"Just friends, huh?" Chuck pouted as he looked up. 

Raleigh blew a raspberry and then added, "Best friends."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	7. Want to Confess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm breaking it up, I can see good cliffhanger spots had I dragged out the posting. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

He spent a good chunk of his time on land coaxing Chuck to bed at three in the morning. Mako, as she'd insisted, was often out late at the university working on her next project. 

Raleigh was carrying Chuck to bed for the second night in a row when Chuck muttered, "Th' pullout sucks. If you don't mind sharin', I think you could use my bed."

"With you in it?" He teased softly. 

"Duh." 

"Alright." Raleigh tucked Chuck into bed and then made to get up, surprised at the grip Chuck had on his sleeve. "Looks like I'm sleeping here then." 

He kicked off his sweats and curled around Chuck, tucking his face into the crook between Chuck's shoulder and his neck. 

That night, no nightmares plagued him.

* * *

Raleigh woke to the sound of Mako cooing and the artificial click of a phone camera. He buried his face against the closest thing. 

The closest thing was Chuck's face, it turned out, and it was scruffy with a five o' clock shadow. Raleigh instantly smelled _salt-surf-sun_ and yelped as he scooted out of bed only to hit the floor. He groaned as he rubbed sleep from his eyes, wincing at the literal pain in his ass. 

"Oww..." He whined softly. 

"Mm, Raleigh?" 

"Yeah." 

"... Ya fell outta bed, didn't you?" 

"Yup," Raleigh sighed as he levered himself off the ground to stand. He yawned and scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling his own scruff. "Okay, time to get up." 

Going about his regular morning routine here, he felt two pairs of eyes land on his shark-inflicted scars. 

"You c'n ask about the scars, y'know." Raleigh commented dryly as he tugged on his boots. He snagged his own set of keys-given to him by Chuck-and waited. 

"When you get back." 

"Sure."

* * *

**-Chuck's Apartment, Sydney, NSW, Australia, March, 8, 2021-**

He quietly checked in on Mako and Chuck after he finished packing his ruck. 

Raleigh didn't have the heart to wake either of them, Chuck still wearing Raleigh's gift to him and Mako star-fished across her bedspread. 

He pressed a soft kiss to Chuck's forehead and left, locking up behind himself and sighing heavily. 

Each time he left Chuck it got harder and harder to swim back to the Alaskan waters that were his birthright. 

Home had become someone instead of someplace. 

Raleigh slipped into the water, looking back at the shoreline that held his best and closest friend. 

For the first time in his life, he wanted to tell Chuck everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	8. An Epiphany of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually pitied Chuck while writing this because pretty, tussled Raleigh would be difficult to confess to- especially with a wet suit clinging to all kinds of muscle. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Hansen Sea Cottage, Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 13, 2028-**

He doesn't even have to knock on the door before it's flung open and he's face-to-face with a devastatingly handsome and tanned Chuck.

Raleigh's jaw dropped. He flushed, closed his mouth and stood aside to let Chuck out.

The wet suit clung to curving muscles and highlighted a pair of dogtags that peeked out of the partially zipped suit. 

"What's with the tags?" He asked, shedding his trunks and t-shirt to reveal his own wet suit. 

"Huh?" Chuck's eyes glazed over for a moment, almost like he hadn't heard Raleigh's question. "Oh yeah, I joined the RAAF like my old man." 

Chuck zipped up the suit as though it were an afterthought while grabbing a board with an easy heft. 

"A soldier," Raleigh stated as he grabbed the board he'd sent by mail from California, already waxed and primed for some surfing. 

"An engineer. I built stuff like roads and houses an' stuff like that. Couple of bridges too. What about you? What'd you do?" Chuck teased as they paddled out into Sister Sea. 

"Working on my Master's degree. I specialize in pinniped acoustics and behavior in the field." He answered with a laugh. "Means I get to look and listen to seals all day as my job." 

"Oh." Chuck frowned at that. 

"I'm here on vacation but if I get to sneak a peek at the Australian fur seal, well, that's just a bonus to visiting my best friend." Raleigh promised. "I won't actively be looking for them. Heads up." 

"Yup. I saw it." came the distracted reply. 

They surfed along Sister Sea with the swells better than they normally would be this time of year. Raleigh flipped his board to thank her, immersing himself in the cool waters and blowing out a stream of playful bubbles. Chuck's hand cut through the water and lifted him up by his suit. 

"What the fuck d'you think you're doing, ya cunt?" Chuck growled. 

"Playing. Relax, Chuck, I've been near or on the ocean most of my life. Not gonna drown the day before your birthday," he scoffed as he shoved Chuck clean off the other board. Chuck came up spluttering in waist deep water. "See?" 

"Wanker." Chuck managed after he stopped pouting and was floating in Sister Sea. 

"Your wanker." Raleigh pointed out before Chuck shoved him off his own board.

* * *

They came back dripping wet, Raleigh making a face as he peeled a squishy chunk of algae off of his shoulder. 

Chuck was sporting a particularly smug expression as he walked next to Raleigh in the sand. 

"Seaweed I don't mind but algae? Chuck, you cheeky little..." His words dried up at the sight of Mr. Hansen, now beginning to grey at the temples, tapping his foot on the porch. 

"Your Mum called you three times. Would it kill ya to take your _waterproof phone_ to th' beach with you—" Mr. Hansen's lecture—because lecture it was—paused as he took in Raleigh next to Chuck. "I'm sorry, who are you?" 

"An old friend." Raleigh offered as he slung his arm over Chuck's slumped shoulder. "I'm the reason he forgot it, probably. We were catching up while we surfed." 

Mr. Hansen frowned and then snapped his fingers. "You're that Lapierre boy. From Chuck's eleventh birthday." 

"Yup," Raleigh grinned as he steered Chuck up the wide, flat stairs. "Have you had breakfast yet, sir?" 

"...I'm fine. I'll take coffee if it's been made." Mr. Hansen declined. "An' none of that sir nonsense. It's Herc." 

"Alright." He chirruped, digging through his ruck to find a beach towel and plopping it on Chuck's head. "Sit, you." Raleigh gently rubbed out the water, taking care of Chuck almost as easy as breathing. 

"C'n do it myself, _Rah_ leigh." Chuck mumbled but leaned into the attention. 

"I know." He hummed before finishing off with a soft fluffing. Just as he was about to run it through his hair for a quick scrub, Chuck got up and pointed at the chair with a look that said 'Just go with it.' Raleigh sat down and practically turned to mush the second Chuck's fingers touched his hair. 

At the human equivalent of a rumble, Herc muttered something about needing to go and that he'd swing by tomorrow. When the door swung shut there was a moment of strained silence between them before both of them started laughing. 

"Hehe, you should've _seen_ my old man's face..." Chuck squeaked out as he fell back into laughing, his cheek on Raleigh's shoulder as he giggled until he was red in the face. 

"Too bad I missed it then." He dryly commented. "I'll make breakfast if you wanna rinse?" 

"Actually... I need to talk to you." Chuck sat across from him, his expression serious. 

"What about?" Raleigh waited patiently for Chuck to gather his thoughts. 

"... Fuck. Why is it so hard to say it now that you're here in front of me?" Chuck muttered as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Raleigh made a questioning noise. "I'm just gonna say it. I really like you Raleigh, as more than a friend. I think I might be in love with you." 

Raleigh swallowed heavily, his mind repeating the last sentence. 

"You don't like me that way, that's-" Chuck started back pedaling but Raleigh stood up, rounded the table that was between them and gently cupped his best friend's face in his hands. "Raleigh?" 

"I've been in love with you since I rescued you from the ocean." He admitted quietly. "I keep falling in love with you every single time I see you. How can I not? You're smart, you're funny, you're so damn gorgeous that sometimes I get an ache just thinking about it."

Raleigh held his breath waiting for Chuck's answer and then Chuck surged up, kissing him until they were both dizzy from lack of air. 

"You." Kiss. "Giant." Kiss. "Sap." He purred after an even longer kiss.

"Only when it comes to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	9. Living the Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's Herc/Angela/Stacker if you squint, which is also an OT3 I should get back into the swing of writing.
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

After they finally managed to stop kissing, they made breakfast, Chuck's arm wrapped around Raleigh's waist with his chin pillowed on Raleigh's shoulder to watch him cook. 

"Chuck?"

"Hmm?" 

"How did you think that conversation was gonna go?" 

"One of two ways; eitha you punched me or you walked out." Chuck said flatly. 

"This didn't even cross your mind?" Raleigh prodded as he swayed in place. 

"This was the fucking fantasy, _Rah_ leigh. The thing that only happens in rom-coms." Chuck confessed as he reached for a strawberry. Raleigh let him take it, still cutting them to fill the steaming crepes under a foil make-shift oven. "I was hoping against hope for this one." 

"Why?" 

"Remember how I said that people either like me for my smarts or hate me?" Chuck sighed as he continued, "Well, some people, namely my exes... They hated you. Just because you had the commitment to write me actual, pen-t'-paper letters. Long ones at that. They assumed I was cheating on them with you. 'M not like that. I make my choice, y'know, I stick to it. They called me every name under the sun when they broke it off." 

"And Mako?" Raleigh questioned. 

"Mako got it. She had a pair of penpals from Seoul; Yuna an' So-Yi. We met while waiting to get our respective letters." Chuck fondly mentioned. "She lives with them now. Moved to Seoul little over a year ago to be with her sweethearts." 

"Oh," Raleigh hummed, grabbing the bowl of cut strawberries as Chuck took the warm plate to the table. "I never got the full story of how you met." 

"She sat on one side of the post office, I sat on the other. Both of our Dads knew each other from deployments. Both of us got our letters, looked up and saw that we had letters from different places. We were, what, all of twelve years old?" Chuck continued as he ate, not even bothering with the other chair, perched in Raleigh's lap. "We bonded over the letters. When Dad moved bases again, they'd been assigned to where we were." 

"I thought it was nice that you had someone to talk to in person." Raleigh told Chuck. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. I had Yancy and a ton of cousins to play and hang out with so I was happy for you." He responded, wiping away a bit of whipped cream from the corner of Chuck's still swollen lips and putting it on the towel still draped across the back of the chair. 

"Aww, you really are a sap." Chuck cooed as he laid his head against Raleigh's chest. "After we do the boring responsible thing and clean up our breakfast dishes, what d'you want to do?" 

"Show me where you live when you're not here." Raleigh suggested, absently stroking his fingertips along Chuck's cheekbone, trailing down to his lips and back up. 

"Sounds like a plan." Chuck agreed as he playfully caught Raleigh's hand and laced their fingers together.

* * *

**-Sydney, NSW, Australia, Queen Victoria Building-**

He looked around like the tourist he was, his grin wide and happy as Chuck dragged him from shop to shop. The enormous white building was bigger than some of the ice shelves Raleigh was used to seeing. 

Chuck got a call halfway through so they paused near the center. Raleigh played games on his phone, keeping an eye on Chuck as he argued with whoever was on the other end. 

"Mum wants you t' drop by for dinner." He supplied as Raleigh mimed talking on the phone. 

"I wouldn't mind seeing her again. Question is, you wanna hide this? You wanna let them know that we're officially together? Up to you, Chuck." He answered as they started walking again. 

"Of course we're together," Chuck grumbled. "Mum'll be estatic. She's been predicting it since we met." 

"Really?" Color Raleigh surprised. 

"She said that we cried when you had to leave the first time we met. Both of us, if you c'n believe it." Came the reply as they walked back through the city to the parked truck. 

"I remember that. That promise we made? I told you to come back to the beach when you hit eleven." He mentioned. 

"And I said I would, right?" Chuck started the truck and drove out of city limits, heading for what looked like suburbs. 

"Well, I think your Mom might have had something to do with you all being there when you hit eleven." Raleigh admitted. "Ms. Angie and Maman were even heavier on the letters than we were, remember?" 

"... Yeah. One postcard a month. Letters came bi-monthly." Chuck murmured as he parked in front of a small house. "Well, we're here."

* * *

"Raleigh, honey, how are you?" Ms. Angie's thick curls have begun to grey—same as Herc's hair. He's struck again by how humans age, how their bodies break down. Selkie age far slower but they can still die. 

"Good, Ms. Angie." He hugged her, careful of his strength now more than ever. "Working on my Master's degree." 

"Oh! That's fantastic. Chuck, why didn't you tell me Raleigh was working in his degree?" She chided Chuck as he kicked his boots off at the door. 

"Because, Mum, he's on vacation right now, yeah?" Chuck countered as Raleigh reached for him. "He works with seals." 

"He's being considerate," Raleigh murmured as he curled an arm around Chuck's waist, pressing a soft kiss to Chuck's forehead. "I don't get much time off." 

Ms. Angie looked them over, eyes widening the longer they stood in each other's space before she started bouncing in place with a huge smile. "Oh, you're together! Herc, come here." 

"Saw 'em getting comfy this morning and figured they were already t'gether or they were gonna be, Ang." Herc offered wryly as he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Dinner's ready when you are." 

"Right, right. You told me about that before you left for Base this morning. Still, I'm excited. You two have been in each other's pocket for as long as I can remember." Ms. Angie hummed as she lead the way to the dining room. "Oh, Chuck, I don't know if you remember Mako's Dad?" 

"I remember Mr. Pentecost, Mum. I only moved out a few years ago. Hey, Mr. Pentecost. This's my partner Raleigh Lapierre." Chuck rolled his eyes but introduced him to Mako's father. 

"Stacker Pentecost. I don't mean to be rude but you remind me of someone..." He could see where Mako got her drive and ambition from. 

Raleigh shook the man's hand and shrugged. "I get that a lot." 

"Mako tells me that you work on the ocean. What's that like?" Mr. Pentecost asked, making conversation as they all brought plates and silverware to the table. 

"Big, sir, and full of predators aside from what I study. I get a little attached to them." He said with a laugh. 

"What do you study? Please, just Stacker's fine." Stacker waved away the formality of it all easily. 

"Seals. Some of the bigger varieties in Alaska and down here in the Southern Hemisphere. The fur seals here are my favorite only because I'm a hop and a skip away from Chuck." He added just to see Chuck blush in the seat across from him. 

"I see. I prefer assignments down here because my bones don't creak quite as much." Stacker admitted dryly. "That and seeing old friends is always nice." 

Raleigh inhaled and then almost choked on his mouthful of water. Stacker, Ms. Angie and Herc's scents were intwined all over the house. A mated family group. He guessed humans could still surprise him. 

"Yeah, it is."

* * *

Chuck started to fall asleep against his chest and Raleigh let him. Ms. Angie and Stacker had already gone to bed, leaving Herc to sit next to them in almost pure silence. 

"Raleigh?" 

"Herc." He acknowledged. 

"You, uh, you figured something out at dinner, didn't you?" The nervous tic of rubbing at the back of the neck was hereditary, it seemed. 

"I did. If you want to tell Chuck, it's none of my business. He's an adult. Either he'll handle it or he won't," Raleigh said quietly enough not to disturb Chuck. "I won't tell him before you're ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	10. Trust Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reveal! Poor Chuck. He was trying to be sweet. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 14, 2028; Chuck's Birthday-**

Raleigh slipped out of bed, not even bothering with shoes as he padded through the tiny cottage and out onto the beach just before dawn. 

He stripped mechanically and had stepped into his seal skin when a snap of driftwood made him look up. 

Chuck stood there in the pale light, jaw working as Raleigh slid the skin the rest of the way up his legs and shifted to half-form. 

"If we're gonna have this talk, I gotta be in the water," He finally said as he slipped into the waves and pointed at a jutting rock just big enough for Chuck to sit on. "You c'n sit there if you like. Ask as many questions as you can think of, okay?" 

"I was just... Holy shit. How long have you been like this?" Chuck blurted as he sloshed into the water to sit next to Raleigh. 

"I was born like this. I'm a Selkie. I've always been a Selkie." Raleigh shrugged as he dunked himself in the water and came back up soaked. "How much do you know about us? My kind, I mean." 

"Not much? I mean, I know Selkies are supposed to be an Irish thing..." Chuck muttered as he played with a clam shell in the clear water that washed over them. "Something to do with seals?" 

"Well, Selkie aren't just from Ireland, though plenty of our sisters are there, and we're a really tight knit group." He confessed. "My great grandma was a Mediterranean monk Selkie. Mémé was human, through 'n though and Maman was a spotted seal, just like I am." 

"So Yancy was attacked by a shark but not by studying them." Chuck's tone turned thoughtful. 

"He's alive. Turns out, the humans I saw when I put him on the beach... They were part of the marine bio team sent specifically to study spotted seals. They kept him for a few months before they released him again. His mates know his secret now." Raleigh sighed. "I was going to tell you before you told me that you loved me. I hated lying to you." 

"So why only a week at a time?" Chuck scooped up water and gently poured it over Raleigh's head, prompting a happy rumble from Raleigh. 

"Selkie don't do so hot if we get too far from Sister Sea. We turn human but it's a painful, long process and a lot of Selkie die from that change." He paused for a moment before hugging Chuck close, the shirt growing damp between them. 

"Our maximum time is seven to eight hours on dry land and better if we have access to the ocean in the morning or evening after those hours. We can stay on land once every seven years for exactly seven days because our bodies need to rest from being at sea. We sweat out our excess salt." 

Chuck muffled his laughter against Raleigh's spotted chest before he looked up to explain, "So when I said you had to go yell at the ocean, I was sorta right?" 

"Yeah, you were," He apologized as he hugged Chuck close. "I'm sorry." 

"Can't choose what you are, _Rah_ leigh. Just wish you'd told me sooner." Chuck countered with a snort. "Go do Selkie stuff or whatever and come back, okay? You still have th' rest of the week t' make it up to me." 

Raleigh frowned and then groaned as he buried his face in his hands. "Today's your birthday." 

"I was tryin' to be cute and give you a hug but..." His partner muttered. 

"I don't think anyone really expects to see what you saw, to be perfectly honest." He pointed out dryly. 

"Nope. Go on." Chuck hauled himself out of the water and waved as Raleigh dove under to come back up as a spotted seal. "Shoo."

* * *

He slipped out of his skin, tucked it away again and pulled on his clothes. Raleigh hesitated when he reached the cottage. 

Chuck had taken it rather well, all things considered. 

Maybe a little too well. 

He darted back to see Chuck looking at the skin, practically blending in with the speckled rocks. 

"You plan on stealing me from Sister Sea?" He asked and Chuck jumped, looking at Raleigh sheepishly. "You wanna touch it?" 

"It's not stealing if it's mutual," Chuck huffed. "Only if you want me to." 

"Here." Raleigh, with his heart lodged in his throat, revealed it to Chuck. The soft dappled fur shone in the growing light, the ends glittering as they turned under his hands. 

Hands that were shaking because Raleigh was terrified. 

"... Leigh? Raleigh!" Chuck shook his shoulder and Raleigh flinched back, his seal skin bunched in his arms. "Raleigh, can you look at me?" 

He sniffed but did as he was asked. 

"I love you very much but you need to talk to me about why you look like I'm going to hurt you." 

"Selkie... We're being driven deep into the ice floes, hiding in plain sight is getting harder and harder and the thought of being handed over to malicious humans by someone I love is **_terrifying_**. I know, logically, that you wouldn't but logic flies right out of the window with the way things have been going for my kind." Raleigh breathed out as tears flooded his line of sight. "So many of our sisters and brothers have been stolen and never returned." 

"Raleigh, babe, I wouldn't keep you from something you need. Have I ever broken a promise to you?" Chuck questioned as he pulled Raleigh to his chest and cradled him close. 

"No," came Raleigh's watery reply. "Not since you were four and I was seven." 

"Okay, so, I pinkie promise to never steal your skin or keep you from it when you need to go home." A familiar pinky wiggled in front of his nose. "Sound good to you?" 

"Sounds good," he linked their pinkies and sucked in a shuddering breath. Raleigh guided Chuck's hand into the fur, slow and still shakey but trusting Chuck to not take it. "How's it feel?" 

"Soft. Raleigh, I'm gonna go back up to the cottage. You c'n hide it somewhere new if you feel like it." Chuck pressed a soft kiss to Raleigh's damp hair and left him to gently fold his skin back up. He hesitated before tucking it away in the same spot, choosing to take Chuck at his word.

* * *

The emotionally draining morning left them cuddling on the couch. 

"'M sorry." 

"Why?" Chuck questioned as he stroked through Raleigh's hair, fingertips massaging away all the tension. 

"Three Selkie have gone missing. It's normally one in every five years but two of our sisters and one of our brothers hasn't made it back to the molting or the rookery. They're once a year events and no one misses them unless they're dead or mated to humans. They usually make the molting if nothing else." He murmured. "But this is the second season they've been missing and there's been no word from the other rookeries." 

Raleigh's phone rang and he groaned as he reached for it. "Hello?" 

«We found them. They were like me, injured by human things or sharks and brought back to full strength by humans. They'll make it to the rookery this year when they've recovered enough.» Yancy told him and the grin that lit up his face was worth the understanding laughter on the other end. «Take care, baby bro. Go woo your pretty ginger human.»

«Already wooed, you jerk. He even knows about us.» he fired back as he enjoyed being petted. «I'm way ahead of the power curve.» 

Yancy chuckled at that. «Nice one. Bring him by when you do get a chance. Bye Rals.»

«Bye Yancy.» Raleigh hung up, buried his face against Chuck's chest and made a happy noise. "They found them. Captured and released after injury recovery. I'm sorry I freaked." 

"I'd freak too if I were you. That's a lot to handle. Apologize as often as you want, Raleigh, but I've already accepted your apologies and you. Up for some coffee and eggs? It's all I can do for breakfast." Chuck mentioned as he sat up with Raleigh in his lap. 

"Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	11. True Love's Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the happy ending! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-Sydney Suburbs, Sydney, NSW, Autralia, August 15, 2028-**

On the way back to the Hansen's Sea Cottage, Chuck asked about how Selkie were different from humans. 

"We age much slower." Raleigh started with the easy one. "Maman was nearly sixty by the time she had me. We stop being fertile at eighty." 

"Eighty?!" Chuck yelped. "Eighty. Okay. Do I even wanna know how long you live?" 

"The average Selkie lives to be a hundred and thirty five. Elders tend to be over that if they live that long. I'm physically an adult but I'm not considered one until I mate. Pups aren't usually a thing until you hit forty." He rattled off. "Jazzy mated young but she's really happy." 

"Your sister got... mated before you. Is there some kinda stigma attatched to that?" Chuck responded with a raised brow as they pulled onto the exit for Port Macquarie. 

"Hmm? No. So long as they smell happy, no one really cares. She got to him down the road a bit. He's a South African fur Selkie. She's his first mate and they're all ridiculously adorable. I like Lucas. He's a good Selkie." Raleigh hummed as they parked. "Hold on, I've got pics." 

"You weren't kidding when you said adorable." Chuck smiled as he spotted the pups and then the rest of the Vos rookery. "Also, what d'you mean 'smell happy'?" 

"Selkie can smell emotions. The term water dog for seals isn't a joke." He told Chuck. 

"Oh." Chuck flushed and embarassment rose up. 

"Only when it's really strong though. Otherwise it's kind of a background—Oh." Raleigh rumbled as he lifted Chuck up by the backs of his thighs and carried him to the cottage. "Mmm, I think I can do something about _that_..." 

"You better."

* * *

Raleigh lazily traced a purple hickey that he'd worked particularly high on Chuck's throat. His fingertips grazed across another, making Chuck squirm and then cuddle close. 

"Raleigh?" 

"Mmm," He rubbed his cheek against Chuck's chest, looking up to see Chuck's face in the light of Mother Moon. 

"Is mating and marrying the same thing?" Chuck asked, his voice deeper where Raleigh was laying on him. 

"Both need a witness, both trade vows and we share everything, so I think so. I've never been to one, only heard about them in books and things." Raleigh offered. "Saw one once at the edge of the water in '09. They got soaked by rain on the Seattle coastline but they looked and smelled happy." 

"Are there Selkie specifics?" 

"You mean mating. Yeah, there's vows to Sister Sea and... Chuck. Are you asking me this because you want...?" 

"Sometime in the future." Chuck's honesty made Raleigh shuffle so that he was looking down at Chuck. "I c'n see that, y'know, a future with you." 

Raleigh’s heart thumped harder and his mouth went dry. 

Chuck wanted to mate with him? Make what they had official, clear in the eyes of Mother Moon, in the future?

He leaned in for a kiss, being met halfway by Chuck. Raleigh peppered Chuck’s face with kisses and then sat back to admire his handiwork again.

"If you mean that, Chuck…" He breathed out excitedly.

"Of course I do. I told you, once I’ve made my choice, that’s it. You’re stuck with me."

"All I've ever wanted." Raleigh managed as he tucked Chuck under his chin.

* * *

**-Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, August 21, 2028; Morning of Departure-**

Chuck solemnly watched him pack his ruck, his hands clenching and unclenching as he stood nearby. 

Raleigh packed the last of it and opened his arms. Chuck hugged him so close that his ribs creaked from the strength of the hold. 

"Don't go." Chuck begged. 

"I can't stay, Chuck. My body's burning already. I've stayed too long." He answered with a rasp. 

"I'll walk you to the beach." Chuck sighed, lacing their fingers as Raleigh shouldered the ruck. "I'll be counting the days 'til you get back." 

"I know. I'll be counting down to the day I can hold you again." Raleigh agreed softly, squinting against the rising sun to the east. "I'll call you." 

"I know." Chuck sniffed. He turned his back as Raleigh striped out of his clothes and put them away. The ruck dispersed when Raleigh tucked it into his seal skin. "Bye Raleigh. See you in a few years." 

His lover was openly crying now, cheeks glistening with the scent of sorrow and love. Raleigh tore away before he did something stupid like stay on land for good. He slipped into his skin and surged forward, shedding his own tears in the cool waters of Sister Sea. 

«I miss you already, my star.» 

_WHAT SORROW IS THIS, LITTLE MOON?_ Sister Sea questioned. _YOUR FAMILY IS HALE AND HEALTHY, YOUR ROOKERY FILLED WITH PUPS... WHAT ARE YOUR TEARS FOR?_

«My love, Great Sister. My heart has been given and I have received one in its place. But he is human and I your brother, so to you I must return. I have tarried longer than I should have...» Raleigh explained even as he crested the Great Reef and left the warmer waters. 

_I COULD GIVE YOU BUT A MOMENT LONGER. IF TRUEST LOVE THIS BE, A WITNESSED KISS SHALL SET YOU FREE._ She insisted and rushed him back to the beach where Chuck remained crying into his hands. _KISS!_

"Chuck, I-" 

"Raleigh?!" 

They held onto each other and then Raleigh pressed a desperate, trembling kiss to Chuck' lips. Chuck kissed back with everything he had. 

Something in Raleigh burst like a dam and flooded him with relief from being on land. 

«Great Sister, what is this?» 

_YOU ARE FREE TO COME AND GO AS YOU PLEASE NOW. MOTHER HAS RELEASED YOU FROM HER SWAY AND MINE, THOUGH YOU ARE WELCOME STILL._

"I can... I can stay, Chuck." 

"What?" 

"I can stay as long as I like. The sea no longer holds sway..." 

When it hit a moment later, Chuck whooped with joy as the tide brushed against their knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raleigh and Chuck's marriage or the Selkie equivalent thereof. 
> 
> I'm open for prompts of the missing years if you want certain events like Yancy's recovery or how Jazmine ended up in South Africa...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this~

* * *

**-Coffee Bay, South Africa, Africa, December 5, 2028-**

Raleigh breached the water with a snort, Chuck following with a puff of sea-scented mist, his fur seal skin blending in with the rest of the Vos Rookery save for a throat patch of spots that matches Raleigh's skin. 

«That's the rookery. The only way to really spot the difference is you've got that patch and the fact that I can pick you out of all the Voslings that will mob you once you get to shore.» He pointed out. «Here's where it gets hard. The sharks aren't as heavy here as they are elsewhere but they'll attack seal and Selkie if they get brave enough. They fear Pietr and Griet so we should be okay.»

-Why do they fear Pietr and Griet?- Chuck asked as he nudged under Raleigh's chin, their vibrassae tickling the other. 

«They use dolphin tactics to chase off the sharks and they're big enough to pull it off in Selkie half-form.» Raleigh mentioned as Griet popped up with a greeting bark. «Hey Griet! How're the pups?»

 _Good! They're growing fast. You brought a guest?_ She hummed. 

Raleigh nuzzled Chuck and recieved one in return. «My partner, Chuck. Chuck, this is Griet Vos, co-leader of the Vos Rookery and Mother to five pups. I'll explain more once it's safe.»

_ Of course. _

«Chuck, follow her.» Raleigh shifted into half-form, followed by Griet and Chuck. 

They surged through the water, not spotting any sharks along the way. They slipped back into seal form and left the shallows at a fairly slow pace. Chuck had finally figured out how to move in this form, his claws catching on rocks to heave himself forward. 

«Watch out for the-» Raleigh warned but it was too late. 

~Mama!~ Chuck was piled in four fuzzy little ones and another in adult fur. 

«Voslings.» 

- _Rah_ leigh!- Chuck yelped as the pups tried to get under him. -Get 'em off me!- 

He nosed aside Anniek and Izzy, using his tail to push the others away before they discovered the wrong thing. Elize'd backed away at the sound of Chuck’s plaintive protest. 

«That’s not your Maman, kiddos.» Raleigh chided lightly. «That’s my fiancé.»

~Uncle Raleigh!~ The pups swarmed him instead so he playfully nipped and tussled with the Voslings. 

Griet herded Chuck past the pile of rough-housing. 

_Care to explain why your fiancé has a patch on his throat and you have one in his colors?_ she asked gently as Chuck settled on the warm rocks. 

«Long story short? Sister Sea witnessed our love and granted Chuck the ability to travel with me. The long bit of it can wait 'til later.» He replied. 

Griet let out a giddy warble at the implications. _You're affirming your vows to Mother Moon and Sister Sea then?_

-Yeah. Raleigh says it's for family to see how much we love each other because Sister Sea already knows.- Chuck added as Raleigh laid down next to him and kept an eye on the Voslings. 

«Have the others already made it then?» Raleigh asked. 

_Most of them, yes._ Griet agreed before she continued with, _We... encountered a leopard Selkie. She swears by Father Sun that she knows you. Something about yelling at the ocean?_

Both Chuck and Raleigh laughed. «We know her alright. She's come from Korea to witness our vows.» 

_I'll let Pietr and Lucas know then._ Griet hummed. _We've been keeping her in the shallows for now._

-Her name's Mako.- 

_Mako, then. Rest up and make your way to the cabins when you're ready._ She confirmed as she flicked her tail. All five of the Voslings perked up and followed her, dropping into pup-speak as they went.

* * *

**-Vos Rookery-**

Chuck crested the hill first, Raleigh watching his fiance's reaction to the rookery below. 

"Will we run into...?" 

"Humans? Yes. They're aware of us. Those around rookeries encounter a lot of Selkie. In return for keeping our secret, we help them fish, draw in tourism or have a talk every now and again with Sister Sea when she takes a human-pup or adult. It's the same world-wide but those bordering the Pacific tend to have better human/Selkie relations than most." Raleigh divulged. 

"Wait, d'you mean there are Selkie _cities_?!" Chuck asked in shock. 

"They're called Shatterdomes. Yancy works at the one in Alaska, keeping track of those missing or deceased." 

"... There's one in Australia, isn't there." The flat tone Chuck took suggested that Raleigh tell the truth. 

"Yup. That one's known as The Shed. I'll be working from there when we get back home. It's in Sydney." He admitted. 

"So how did you get to Macquarie?" Chuck questioned as he held onto Raleigh's hand. 

"Well, Cousin Marion turned out to be a fur seal Selkie so she moved there and Maman asked if I wanted to visit her or Mémé. I chose Cousin Mari..." Raleigh told the story as they wound their way down the trail, causing Chuck to laugh as they stepped into the rookery courtyard. 

"So this is the famous Chuck Hansen I keep hearing all about," Yancy teased. 

Raleigh groaned and dragged a hand down his face at the dulcet tones of his older brother. 

Chuck's lips curled into a wicked grin and he spun Raleigh around to kiss him. Raleigh gave a surprised squeak but purred into the kiss, making sure to leave Chuck almost completely breathless. 

Yancy rolled his eyes after Raleigh glanced back. Mako gave them a thumbs up. 

Herc, Ms. Angie and Stacker were smiling with Ms. Angie opening her arms wide. Raleigh and Chuck both hugged her, the angle just right because Ms. Angie was taller than most. 

"Raleigh?" Jazmine bounced a pup on her hip, her black hair sun-bleached to a dark brown. Lucas followed by leading Raleigh's dark haired niece Roos. 

"Hey Jazzy. Who's this little one?" Raleigh crooned and the pup reached for him. He lifted him up easily, brushing noses with him and cradling him close. 

"That's Feris. You missed his birth because you were too busy," Jazzy teased before she looked at Chuck, who was hanging back. Raleigh shuffled Feris so that the pup was settled on his hip and wound an arm around Chuck's waist to keep him close. 

"Jazzy, this is Chuck." Raleigh introduced. "Chuck, this is Jazmine, my younger sister. The jerk over there's Yancy, my older brother." 

"I've heard about you but Raleigh failed t' mention that all of the Lapierres and Vos' are pretty, not just him." Chuck nudged Raleigh with a soft smile, the love in his eyes making Raleigh lean in for another kiss. "You're th' prettiest though." 

"Aww, thanks babe."

* * *

It was after all the pups had been herded off to bed and watched over by the older pups that he did what he needed to in order to start the vows.

"I call upon the Rookery, I call upon Sister Sea and Mother Moon as witnesses to our journey." Raleigh intoned. 

"So it is heard, so it is witnessed. So it is seen, so it is witnessed." The rookery returned as Chuck joined him, their hands clasped together. "So it is smelled, so it is witnessed. So is it felt, so is it witnessed." 

"I met my love, Chuck Hansen, in the year 2007. I stole him back from Sister Sea and restored his breath. His scent was _salt-surf-sun_ as though he were a Selkie in all but blood..." 

Raleigh detailed their story, the way that even though they were thousands of miles apart, they thought of the other near constantly. They traded letters and calls and emails, traversing time and space just to hear from the other. 

Chuck told his side, told of the waiting, of the worry he'd held close to his chest until recently. He spoke of longing and hurt each time he tried to love. He spoke of rejection that made him fearful of Raleigh's response nearly a year ago. 

"Has our journey pleased the moon and her daughter?" Raleigh asked quietly. 

_A TALE FOR THE AGES TO COME, LITTLE MOON._ Sister Sea gleefully replied. _I ACCEPT YOUR JOURNEY AND YOUR LOVE._

Soft moonbeams spilled across the beach, lighting the sand up a glistening white as Mother Moon appeared. 

_***Come here, son of Angela Hansen.*** _

Chuck hesitated. 

_***Please.***_

Raleigh understood when Chuck let go to kneel before Mother Moon. 

_***You also, son of Dominique Lapierre.*** _

He knelt as well, his gaze locked on her as Chuck looked away. 

_***One looks away in deference, the other looks up in worship. You have much to learn and much to teach one another. I accept your journey and your love.***_ Mother Moon pressed a kiss to both of their brows, a softly glowing light left behind. 

_***I bless you to be steadfast and true, even if there are rough waters between you. I bless you to be kind, when anger clouds your mind. I shall watch over you from above, knowing that yours is the truest of love. Do you accept my blessing?*** _

"I do, Great Mother." Raleigh answered as he reached for Chuck's hand. 

"I do, Great Mother." Chuck replied as he joined their hands. 

Their hands were tied together with a deep blue ribbon and a white one, signaling that the vows were done. 

Mother Moon, Sister Sea and the rookery witnesses departed, leaving Raleigh and Chuck alone for the first time since their arrival. 

Raleigh leaned against Chuck as both of them looked to the sky, together in all the ways that counted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
